TATE OF OUTH AROLINA S S C DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

MOLLY M. SPEARMAN STATE SUPERINTENDENT OF EDUCATION SECRETARY TO THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION

Teachers of Tomorrow Implementation Guidelines

South Carolina State Board of Education

October 9, 2018

The South Carolina Department of Education does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, veteran status, or disability in admission to, treatment in, or employment in its programs and activities. Inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policies should be made to the Employee Relations Manager, 1429 Senate Street, Columbia, South Carolina 29201, 803-734-8781. For further information on federal non- discrimination regulations, including Title IX, contact the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at [email protected] or call 1-800-421-3481.

Contents The Legislative Mandate...... 1 Preface...... 3 Ineligibility for Program Admission or Participation ...... 3 Candidate Admission Requirements ...... 3 Approved Certification Fields...... 4 Eligibility for Certification ...... 5 Statement of Eligibility ...... 5 Employer Supervision and Evaluation...... 5 Year One Certificate and Employment ...... 5 Year Two Certificate and Employment ...... 6 Year Three Certificate and Employment ...... 6 Advancement to the Professional Certificate ...... 6 Extension Year Option ...... 7 Candidate Withdrawal from Teachers of Tomorrow ...... 7

Teachers of Tomorrow Implementation Guidelines i October 2018 Contents

The Legislative Mandate

S.C. Code Ann. § 59-26-30(A)(8)

SECTION 59-26-30. Cognitive assessments for teachers and teacher certification; examinations; regulations.

(A) In the area of cognitive assessments for teachers and teacher certification, the State Board of Education, acting through the State Department of Education, shall:

(8) award a conditional teaching certificate to a person eligible to hold a teaching certificate who does not qualify for full certification under item (7) above provided the person has earned a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with a major in a certification area for which the board has determined there exists a critical shortage of teachers, and the person has passed the appropriate teaching examination. The board may renew a conditional teaching certificate annually for a maximum of three years, if the holder of the certificate shows satisfactory progress toward completion of a teacher certification program prescribed by the board. In part, satisfactory progress is the progress that the holder of a conditional certificate should complete the requirements for full certification within three years of being conditionally certified;

Regulation 43-51 Certification Requirements (IV)(D)

D. An individual who is seeking certification through Teachers of Tomorrow must not be hired by a school district in South Carolina without completing the electronic fingerprinting process required by the teacher certification office of the South Carolina Department of Education at the time of application and without having undergone a criminal records check by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division and a national criminal records check supported by fingerprints and conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation pursuant to Section 59-25-115(B). Background checks are valid for a period of eighteen months.

1. A person who is seeking certification through Teachers of Tomorrow, who has a minimum of a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university or an institution with a teacher education program that has been approved by the SBE for certification purposes, who has earned a successful score on the certification content area examination approved by the SBE, and who has met the requirements of subsection D is considered to have met the requirements for certification and must be issued an appropriate alternative route certificate as determined by the SBE upon confirmation of employment by a public school or school district. The alternative route certificate must be valid for one year and may be renewed annually for two additional years upon the successful completion of teaching and of the hiring district’s induction program.

2. A person who maintains a valid Alternative Route certificate for Teachers of Tomorrow and has been initially hired by a school district must be required, as a condition for professional certification, to successfully pass the South Carolina adopted Teachers of Tomorrow Implementation Guidelines Revised Guidelines Approved October 9, 2018 Page 1

pedagogy examination and to demonstrate teaching effectiveness by a successful summative evaluation at the annual contract level as part of the state’s system for Assisting, Developing, and Evaluating Professional Teaching (ADEPT).

3. The SCDE shall submit annually by March thirty-first to the SBE and the General Assembly the total number of individuals employed in South Carolina with a certificate issued by Teachers of Tomorrow by district and non-privileged information on these individuals through the ADEPT reporting system. A person who has completed all requirements of this regulation and has been hired by a school district has the same responsibilities and rights as other teachers hired by the district.

4. The SBE is authorized to establish guidelines outlining the content areas in which candidates in Teacher of Tomorrow may pursue certification.

S.C. Act 264 of 2018, Proviso 1.100. (SDE: Alternative Certification Programs) For the current fiscal year, the department, through the State Board of Education, is authorized to award a conditional teaching certificate to a person who is enrolled in an approved alternative certification program provided the person has earned a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited college or university with a major, or major equivalence, as defined by the State Board of Education in guidelines developed by the department in a certification area for which the board has determined there exists a critical shortage of teachers, and the person has passed the appropriate teaching examination.

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Preface

In 1984, to address critical teaching shortages in South Carolina, the South Carolina General Assembly provided for the establishment of alternative routes to certification in S.C. Code Ann. § 59-26-30(A)(8). In 2017, Teachers of Tomorrow was approved through amendments to Regulation 43-51 as a non-traditional educator preparation provider for the certification of individuals with at least a bachelor’s degree but who have not completed a teacher preparation program.

Ineligibility for Program Admission or Participation

An individual who has been enrolled in student teaching in a traditional teacher preparation program is not eligible for admission to or participation in a non-traditional or alternative route program. The candidate must meet the certification requirements of the traditional preparation program in which he or she was enrolled for student teaching and be recommended for certification by that provider.

Additionally, an individual who fails to complete requirements for one non-traditional or alternative route program is not eligible for admission to or participation in another non- traditional route.

An individual whose certificate is denied, suspended, or revoked pursuant to Regulation 43.58 will not be allowed to participate in or be readmitted to a non-traditional or alternative route program.

Candidate Admission Requirements

An individual who is seeking certification through Teachers of Tomorrow must meet the candidate admission requirements listed below.

1. The candidate must have earned a bachelor’s degree or higher from a regionally accredited institution or from an institution with teacher-preparation programs approved for certification purposes by the state of South Carolina.

2. The candidate must have earned a major in the certification subject area or a major equivalence in the certification subject area as defined by the State Board of Education (SBE).

3. The candidate must have earned a GPA of at least 2.5 on a 4.0 scale. The GPA in the content area major or the GPA in the last sixty hours of coursework may be used to meet this requirement.

4. The candidate must earn a successful score on the state-approved content area assessment(s) in the teaching field.

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5. The candidate must submit to Teachers of Tomorrow a statement of disclosure regarding any prior convictions to include felonies and misdemeanors.

Approved Certification Fields

Candidates for Teachers of Tomorrow may be evaluated for and pursue certification in the following P–12, Middle Level, and High School areas.

All Grades • Art • Dance • English for Speakers of Other Languages • Health Education • Media Specialist* • Music Education • Physical Education • Theater • World Languages

Middle Level Education • Middle Level Language Arts • Middle Level Mathematics • Middle Level Science • Middle Level Social Studies

High School • Agriculture Education • Biology • Business/Marketing/Computer Technology • Chemistry • Computer Science • Earth and Space Science • English • Family and Consumer Science • History • Industrial Technology Education • Mathematics • Physics • Science** • Social Studies**

*Requires a Master’s degree in Library and Information Science or Public Library **Requires specific course content on the transcript

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Eligibility for Certification

Statement of Eligibility

In order for a Teachers of Tomorrow candidate to be eligible to receive a Statement of Eligibility to seek a teaching position in a South Carolina public school, the candidate must submit the following documentation to the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) teacher certification office:

• Online application for certification, • Application fee, • Official copies of all college and university transcripts indicating degrees conferred, • National (FBI) and state (SLED) background reports generated through the SCDE’s approved electronic fingerprinting process and vendor, • Official scores on the required subject area assessment(s) for the certification area, and • Verification of candidacy by Teachers of Tomorrow. Upon receipt of the complete candidate file, the SCDE will review all documentation and issue a Statement of Eligibility for employment purposes to a qualified candidate. Once the candidate has been issued a Statement of Eligibility, he or she may seek a teaching position in the approved certification field in a South Carolina public school. Background checks are valid for a period of eighteen months; candidates who do not secure employment prior to the expiration of the background reports on file must repeat the electronic fingerprinting process. Employer Supervision and Evaluation

The employing public school district or public charter school seeking to hire a candidate through Teachers of Tomorrow must issue employment contracts or the equivalent employment agreements, provide supervision and support, and evaluate candidates in accordance with all SBE regulations and guidelines for South Carolina’s system for Assisting, Developing, and Evaluating Professional Teaching (ADEPT). Consistent with Regulation 43-205.1, a candidate must not receive a continuing contract until he or she has completed all requirements of Teachers of Tomorrow and is eligible to advance to a Professional certificate. Districts are responsible for submitting all Confirmation of Employment forms and evaluation results on behalf of their employees pursuing certification through Teachers of Tomorrow.

Year One Certificate and Employment

The candidate must secure employment in at least a 0.5 full time equivalent position (FTE) in the certification field, and the employing school district or public charter school must submit a Confirmation of Employment form to the SCDE teacher certification office. Upon receipt of the Confirmation of Employment, the SCDE will issue the candidate’s first alternative route certificate. Candidates who are employed on or before the twenty-eighth student attendance day must be employed under an Induction I contract and participate in a formative evaluation process. All

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SBE induction and mentoring requirements apply to Teachers of Tomorrow educators on an Induction I contract. Candidates who are employed after the twenty-eighth student attendance day may be employed under a Letter of Agreement and must receive appropriate support and assistance from the employing public school district or charter school. Year Two Certificate and Employment

At the conclusion of the candidate’s first year of teaching, the employer must submit a Confirmation of Employment form to the SCDE, and the provider must confirm the candidate’s good standing in order for the educator to be issued the second-year certificate.

During year two of program participation, a candidate who was employed under a Letter of Agreement during the first year must be employed on an Induction I contract and participate in a formative assessment process. All SBE induction and mentoring requirements apply to Teachers of Tomorrow educators on an Induction I contract. A candidate employed under an Induction I contract during the first year of program participation may be employed during the second year under an Induction II or an Annual I contract at the discretion of the employer. The second-year candidate on an Induction II contract must participate in a formative evaluation process. A candidate employed under an Annual I contract may participate in a formative or summative evaluation process at the discretion of the employer. Year Three Certificate and Employment

At the conclusion of the candidate’s second year of teaching, the employer must submit a Confirmation of Employment form to the SCDE, and the provider must confirm the candidate’s continued good standing in order for the educator to be issued the final alternative route certificate.

All third-year participants must be employed on the appropriate Annual contract. A candidate who has not participated in the summative evaluation process previously—or who has not earned a successful rating during a previous summative evaluation process—must participate in a state- approved summative evaluation process during the third year.

A third-year participant who has met the state’s summative evaluation requirements in a previous year of employment may participate in a summative or goals-based evaluation process at the discretion of the employer.

Advancement to the Professional Certificate

At the conclusion of the third year of teaching, the candidate will qualify for a standard, renewable Professional certificate if all of the following requirements are met.

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• The candidate has a successful score on the appropriate pedagogy examination adopted for certification purposes by the SBE and documented through an official score report. • The candidate has a successful rating on a summative evaluation at the annual contract level using a state-approved process as documented through district reporting in the ADEPT data system. • The provider submits the program completion verification and recommendation for Professional certificate. • The candidate submits a request for the Professional certificate. Once the educator advances to a standard, renewable Professional certificate, he or she is eligible for a continuing contract and enters the five-year certificate renewal cycle. Extension Year Option

A candidate who does not meet all requirements for the Professional certificate at the conclusion of the third year of program participation may apply for a one-year extension of the alternative route certificate. The extension year must immediately follow the third year of program participation. If approved, all remaining program requirements must be completed no later than June 30 of the extension year.

The SCDE will consider a request for an extension year with the following documentation:

• The employer must submit a Request for Extension and the Confirmation of Employment form; and • The provider must submit an Acknowledgement Form supporting the candidate’s extension year certificate.

Candidate Withdrawal from Teachers of Tomorrow

A candidate who withdraws from the Teachers of Tomorrow program within the first three academic years based on extenuating circumstances may reapply for admission. Readmission is at the discretion of the SCDE and must be supported by the provider and the candidate’s most recent employing school district or public charter school. A teacher readmitted to Teachers of Tomorrow must meet all program admission requirements in place at the time of readmission and may be required to repeat the program from the beginning. In this instance, the candidate is responsible for any and all associated costs.

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